Smyrna times., 1887-06-15
For the Smyrna Times.
Smyrna's Fourth of July Celebration


The expense attending the appropri-
ate celebration of our greatest national
holiday need not be very much. In
the first place there ought not to be
any money invested in the fire
cracker business, that is poor
way of distinguishing the Fourth of
July. The noise and the smell of
burnt powder is very annoying to peo-
pie, and trightful to horses and dam
gerOus to property. There is an Ordi-
nance against such practices, and on
the coming Fourth we hope to see it
enforced thoroughly. No money for
such, and likewise it is not necessary
to invest in fire works. We don't care
for night displays. We want the day
for the festival-the whole day. Fill it
up with parades, speeches, abundant
music, flags and flowers. Make a feast
of reason and flow of patriotic soul.
cooled and refreshed with ice cream
and iced-lemOnade. No! not much
money will be required. If lumber is
wanted to make shed and a stand for
speaking, no doubt our lumber men
will contribute what stuff would be re-
qured, on condition that it be returned
TO them 1t will not cost anything for
each citizen to turn out in his carriage
and fall in line, nor will it cost any
thing for our farmers to drive in with
their families and join the procession.
There will be nothing expended for
speakers. For music some money
will be wanted, but what is the Fourth
without music? Our citizens will sub
scribe all that is necessary. All the
merchants and manufacturers and all
business men will subscribe and appear
in carriages. If possible all our bands
Of music should turn Out-more music
the better. There should be ice cream
tables with plenty of ice cream at the
mass meeting under the shed, so that.
on the German plan, the plates can be
served and the people eat while the
speaking IS going on. On this point of
speaking it might be advisable to have
several speakers with short speeches.
instead of one orator with one LONG
prOsy Grafton for an hour or hour and
half. Let all the clergy come out
with 10 minute speeches and not half a
minute longer, but let the Declaratic,,
OF independence be read first bv the
superintendent of our Schools. And
after the clergy speak, we should hear
from some of the oldest students of orr
schools, who are graduating or who
are preparing for college; and we
should hear from those students who
have gone from Smyrna to the colleges
and who will then be home for vaca-
ton. Thus all should unite, old and
young, in bringing to mind the glorious
Dlrthday OF our country, with its bles-
sings Of liberty and fruits of the most
exalted civilization and national great
ness. Thus while we rekindie the fire
OF patriotism in the hearts of the rising
generation, as well as our own. (which
has been burnt out in this town for the
last ten years. we shall also teach the
hlgn moral lesson of duty and loyalty
to the State and the general govern
ment. How much higher service is
this to engage our thoughts than that
OF spending the day out of town at re-
sorts for drinking and idle sports. How
very elegant and appropriate an oc-
caslOn this would be for the union of
our church chOirs to stir our hearts
with such songs as the Star Spanoled
Banner and MY Country It's of
Thee" and perhaps not inappropriate
at the close the Old Hundred" >"
Before Jehovahs awful throne
30 Rqtinns bow with sacred JOY, &c
and the benedictiOn as at the begin
ming OF the exercises there should be n
prayer for Gods blessing. AJAX.
The following has also been fur
nished to further the plan and put in
execution the proposed patriotic OBJ
servauce
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION COM
MITTEE.
+. H. Beck, Samuel Tavlor. William
A; FAIRIES, B. V. Weldon, i. NJ. Fowler
Walter o. Hoffecker, l.. I. Handy
VIM. =. Hall, 0. B. Voshell. l. II
Price, VIM. M. Lewis, Geo. NJ. Steven
son, Alexander G. Cummins.
The committee will meet at an early
day and make the best possible arranoe-
ments. They request all our citizens
70 Iake an interest In this celebration
and to give it their hearty oooperati0n
by q word of encouragement and hv n
small contribution of money. and bv
their presence in the line of processio1
and at the public meeting. Their
plans and orders will be duly an
nouneed as rapidly as the details of
their arrangements are perfected.
Inc committee are requested to meet
at A. G. Cummins office, this evenin0
at Z o'clock.